Sat, Oct 31, 2026

Run for Your Life 5K

Tarboro, NC

Registration openAnnual since at least 2014

5K1 Mile

About the Run for Your Life 5K

The course runs through historic downtown Tarboro, so the surroundings are old streetscapes rather than a park or trail. The race is a fundraiser for a local cancer support foundation, and the cause is woven into the morning. Awards go to top finishers overall and across age groups.

Packet pickup is held the evening before at Tarboro Brewing Company, which also hosts a charity concert that same night with live music, a raffle, and a food truck on site. Race-morning pickup runs at the same location before the start.

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Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.

5K · 2025 results

176finishers

18:21winner

45:35median

1:06:40cutoff

Top 3: Joaquin Mendoza (18:21) · Tyler Keen (20:52) · Joash Eichmann (21:18)

The Run for Your Life 5K has been held every year since at least 2014. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 5K results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5K10/31/2026 09:00$40

1 Mile10/31/2026 09:45$25

Going for a Time?

Set a goal and get a pace band: every mile split on a card sized for your phone lock screen, so race morning needs no math.

Plan Your Trip

Where to Stay

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Common Questions About the Run for Your Life 5K

Will I finish last at the Run for Your Life 5K?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 45:35, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:06:40, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Run for Your Life 5K a good first 5K?

It is a small race (176 finishers), which is friendlier and less intimidating than a big-city event, though the field thins out. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 5K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Run for Your Life 5K?

The 5K winner ran 18:21 while the median finisher took 45:35. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.